Electrical dehydrator



fm 2, w23.,

' W. 0. EDDY. I ELECTRICAL DEHYDRATOR.

FILED DEC. 19. 1921.

atented dan. 2, lgZ;

uiten sarna AVIIDLIIAET 0. EDDY, 0F LQS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.,

ASSIGNOR TO PETROLEUM RECTI- FYING COMEANY 0F CALIFORNEA, GF SAN'FRANCISCO, CALIFORNA, A CORPGEA- TION OF CALFGRNIA.

ELECTRICAL DEHYDBA'I0R.

.application led December 19, 1921.

To all whom.. it may concern.' Be it known that l, lli/'ILLIAM 0. EDDY,a citizen of the United States, residing. at Los Angeles, in the countylof Los Angeles and State of California; have invented a new and usefulimprovement in Electrical Dehydrators, of which the following is aspecification..

My invention relates to dehydrators which are adapted to remove theWater from petroleum emulsions. ltv is a well known fact that it' such.emulsions are passed through an electric field of sufficiently highintensity that the fine water particles in that field are agglomeratedinto larger masses vwhich will readily separate therefrom by gravity.There have been developed various types ot electric dehydrators foraccomplishing this result.

The principal object of my invention is to produce such a dehydrator inwhich the capacity willfbe large and in which there will be greatcertainty of operation.

Further objects and advantages will be nialle evident hereinafter.

eferring to the drawing which is Jr'or illustrative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a preferred embodiment of myinvention, and,

Figf is a section on a plane represented by the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

In the form of the invention shown a shell 1l is providedv having anenlarged top 12 and having an inlet pipe i3 through which the emulsionto be treated is passed..l A pipe 14 is provided for withdrawing thetreated oil and the separated water from the bottom. of the tank.Supported on insulators 20 in the top of the tank is a spider 21.Turning freely in the spider is a shaft 22,l this shalt bein turned bymeans of a belt, not shown, wfhic passes around a pulley 23 or by anyother convenient practical means. Suspended on thevbottom of the Shaft23 are -four rods 30 which pass through annular members 31, and aresecured thereto by any convenient means such, for example, as bywelding. Secured to the inside ot the tank 11 are three angle iron rings33 having a circular opening therein concentric with. the outer surfaceof the rings 31. rThe spaces between the rings 31 andthe rings 33 forman outer electric field.

Supported on a column l0 vin a standard il secured in the bottom ot theshell is a seone terminus of an inner Serial No. 523,36.

ries of discs 42 which are cylindrical in contour and which areconcentric withv the inner edge of the rings 31.

A transformer 5() 1s provided, this transformer having a low tensionprimary 51 and a high tension secondary 52. rIhe secondary is connectedthrough a wire d3 With the spider Q1 and through a wire 54C with thetank l1. An electro-motiveforce is thus impressed across the outer fieldbetween the members 3l and 33 and across thevinne'r-eld between themembers The emulsion passes through these lfields and the waterparticlesthei'ein are agglomerated in that passage.

l claim as `my invention.:

l. A dehydrator for petroleum emulsions coinprising'a tank having acircular inner surface forming one terminus of an outer electric field;a stationary structure in said tank having a circular outer surfaceforming electric field; an electrically conducting member having acircular outer surface forming the inner terminus for said outerelectric field and a circular inner surface forming the outer terminusfor said innervelectric field; means for electrically connecting saidstationary structure to said tank; andmeans for impressing anelectromotive force between said tank with its stationary structure andsaid electrically conducting member.

2. A dehydrator for petroleum emulsions comprising a tank having acircular inner surface forming one terminus of an outer electric field;a stationary structure in said tank having a circular outer surfaceforming one terminus of an inner electric field; an electricallyconducting member having a circular outer surface forming the innerterminus for said outer electric field and a circular inner surface`forming the outer terminus for said inner electric field: means forrotating said member about; the center of its circular outer surface;means for electricall. connecting said stationary structure to sai forimpressing an electromotive force between said tank with its stationarystructure and said electrically conducting memr. v 3. A dehydrator forpetroleum emulsions comprisingV a tank having a circular inner 31 andthe member 42.

tank; and means l The spaces between the d1scs 4:2 and the rings 3l.form an inner .electric field. f

structure surface forming one terminus electric field; a stationarystructure in said tank having a'circular outer surface vforming oneterminus of an inner electric field; an electrically conducting memberhaving a circularV outery surface forming the inner terminus for saidouter electric field and a circular inner surface forming the outerterminus for said inner electric lield; means for electricallyconnecting said stationary structure to said tank; a pipe forintroducing emulsion into'said tank; a pipe for withdrawing cleaned oilfrom said tank, said pipes being so placed that oil passing from one tothe other must pass through either said outer or' said inner field;y andmeans for impressing an' electromotive 'force 4between said tank withits'stationary 4 and said electrically conducting member. n

4. A dehydrator for petroleum emulsions comprising a tank having acircular inner surface ,forming one terminus of an outer electric field;a stationary structure in said of an outerl lterminus for said outer -orsaid inner field;

ing one terminus of an inner electric field;

.an electrically conducting member having a circular outer surfaceforming the inner electric field and a circular inner surface formingthe outer terminus for said inner electric field; means for rotatingsaid member about the center of its circular outer surface; means forelectrically connecting to said tank; a' pipe for introducing emulsioninto said tank; a pipe for withdrawing cleaned oil from said tank, saidpipes being so placed that oil.passing from one to the other mustpass'through either said outer and means .for impressing anelectromotive force between said tankwith its stationary structure andsaid electrically 'conducting member.

In testimony whereof, i have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, 13thday'of Becember, 1921.

'WILLAM 0. EDDY.

said stationary structure,

California, this.

